Wandering Retirees

We are spending the day in Knoxville waiting out a strong storm front. For today’s blog, we thought we share some of the more mundane practicalities of traveling on a motorcycle for a long trip.

We’re often ask what and how we pack for a long trip. The short answers are: not much and very thoughtfully. On the bike, we have two side cases over the back wheel; one top case that sits behind the passenger; a “tank” bag that sits on the gas tank; and a waterproof bag we have strapped to the top.

We, mostly Connie, have had to reorder our thinking about what is essential. So through trial and error over the past 10 years, we’ve done well at getting the list rather short. It may look like a long list, but it’s really not much. (See the pic)

The clothes list has become shorter every year … and this year in particular when we purchased clothes people wear hiking and backpacking. This means the clothing weighs little and packs small. It also means that it’s not made to be put in the dryer, as is evidenced by our room decor. 😀
We also have to think about weight in the individual cases. We pack our clothes and rugged sandals in the side cases with all the miscellaneous in the top case. Water bottles and tools are in the tank bag. Light weight fleeces and hiking poles are in the waterproof bag.

Another practical matter: if you’d like to see a multi day view on our live tracking map, you can change the display. Visit the site. In the upper left hand corner, click “2017 X-Country”. From the drop down menu, chose “adjustments.” Choose as many days as you’d like to see and the click “update map.
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